New office development reflects green agenda

16 December, 2006

Delivering the benefits of renewable energy for this new logistics centre of Olympus KeyMed at Southend is a system of boreholes linked to a Mitsubishi Electric water cooled heat-pump VRF air-conditioning system.

Ground-source heat pumps to heat and cool a new office development in Southend make an important contribution to reducing its energy consumption by at least 30% compared with an equivalent traditional building. Olympus KeyMed’s 3400 m2 logistics centre will also consume 25% less water. It is the use of Mitsubishi Electric ground-source heat pumps that led to the building winning the Cooling Industry Awards this year. At the heart of the eco-friendly, energy-efficient system is a vertical closed-loop borehole system with 50 boreholes, each 98 m deep. They are linked to Mitsubishi Electric’s WR2 ground-source heat pump to provide the means for heat rejection when the building is being cooled and a heat source when heating is required. The system was designed by ME Engineers and installed by Total Concept Solutions. However, such an approach will be required only if the entire building has a net requirement for heating or cooling. If some parts require heating while others require cooling, the WR2 system will balance these energy requirements. Such ground-source heat pumps as recognised as appropriate technology in the Government’s push for 10% renewable energy usage, and Mitsubishi says that its WR2 and WY City Multi condensers are the only air-conditioning products currently on the list. The building also has a sophisticated system for collecting rainwater to dramatically reduce water consumption, solar panels and shading, and lighting that switches itself off when offices are empty.